- Date
- October 21, 1995, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Henderson, NV
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3184Eaa Chapter 163 Breezy RLU-1A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 29, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951021033679A
- Case key
- 29315
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain a proper cruise altitude and his inadequate in-flight planning. Contributing factors were encountering rising terrain and a downdraft.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After taking off from a dry lake bed, the pilot intended to fly to the airport. While cruising en route for about 5 minutes at a low altitude, he encountered strong winds, downdrafts, and rising terrain. The pilot further reported that the airplane climbed over the first ridge. Approaching the second ridge, he encountered 'a severe down draft' and the airplane pancaked into the up-sloping rocky ground. He reported no mechanical problems.
Factual narrative
On October 21, 1995, at 1530 hours Pacific daylight time, an Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Breezy RLU-1A, N3184, collided with terrain about 10 miles south-southeast of Henderson, Nevada. The airplane was owned by the EAA and was substantially damaged. The certificated commercial pilot received serious injuries, and the passenger was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The personal flight originated from the El Dorado Dry Lake Bed about 1525.
The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board that, after taking off, he intended to fly to the North Las Vegas Air Terminal. While en route, he encountered strong winds, down drafts, and rising terrain.
The pilot further reported that the airplane climbed over the first ridge. Approaching the second ridge, he encountered "a severe down draft" and was not able to climb over the rising terrain. The airplane pancaked into the up-sloping rocky ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3184
- Reported as
- Eaa Chapter 163 Breezy RLU-1A (BREEZY RLU)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 163
- Airframe hours
- 979
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290D, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Experimental Acft Assoc Chap 1
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 15, 1994 · 96 hours before
- Departed
- El Dorado Dry, NV
- Destination
- VGT · North Las Vegas, NV
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,416 total · 26 in this make and model · 1,318 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 25 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N3184 · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.